Method for manufacturing liquid-cooled jacket

ABSTRACT

A liquid cooling jacket is produced by forming a first butted portion where a step side face of a peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral side face of a sealing body butt each other and a third butted portion where a step side face of a support pillar portion and a hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body portion butt each other with a gap, and friction-stirring by inserting a tip side pin and a base side pin of a primary joining rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body and moving the primary joining rotary tool along the third butted portion with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being kept off the step side face while having a second aluminum alloy of the sealing body flow into the gap.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket.

BACKGROUND ART

For instance, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket. FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket. According to this conventional method for manufacturing the liquid-cooling jacket, friction-stir-welding is performed on an butted portion J10 at which a step side face 101c formed at a step portion of a jacket body 101 of an aluminum alloy and a side face 102c of a sealing body 102 of an aluminum alloy butt each other. In addition, the friction-stir-welding is performed by inserting only a stirring pin F02 of a rotary tool F0 into the butted portion J10. Furthermore, according to the conventional method for manufacturing the liquid-cooling jacket, the rotary tool F10 is moved in translation with a rotation center axis CL being aligned with the butted portion J10.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: JP2015-131321A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

Since it is often the case that the jacket body 101 is in a complicated shape, the jacket body 101 is made of a casting material such as a 4xxx aluminum alloy material while the sealing body 102 in a relatively simple shape is made of a wrought aluminum material such as a 1xxx aluminum. Thus, a liquid-cooling jacket is often made by joining members of different aluminum alloys. In a case like this, the jacket body usually has a higher hardness than the sealing body, and the stirring pin receives a higher material resistance from the jacket body 101 than from the sealing body 102 while the friction-stir-welding is being performed, as shown in FIG. 23. As a result, it is difficult to stir different materials to mix them sufficiently with the stirring pin of the rotary tool F0, and there are cavity defects left in a plasticized region after the joining process, which results in a problem with a lower strength of the joined portion.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention is intended to provide a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of members of different aluminum alloy materials that are appropriately joined in a desirable manner.

Solution to Problem

In order to achieve the objective above described, the present invention provides a feature of a method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket joining a jacket body and a sealing body through friction-stirring, wherein the jacket body includes a bottom portion, a peripheral wall portion extending upward from a peripheral edge of the bottom portion and a support pillar extending upward from the bottom portion, and is made of a first aluminum alloy, the sealing body includes a hole portion into which a tip portion of the support pillar is inserted, seals an opening of the jacket body, and is made of a second aluminum alloy, the first aluminum alloy has a higher hardness than a hardness of the second aluminum alloy, a rotary tool is a rotary tool for primary joining for the friction stirring and includes a base side pin and a tip side pin, the base side pin has a taper angle larger than that of the tip side pin, and the rotary tool includes a pin step portion formed in a staircase shape on an outer circumferential face of the base side pin, the method comprising a preparation process of forming a peripheral wall step portion along an inner peripheral edge of the peripheral wall portion, the peripheral wall step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending upward toward the opening of the jacket body from the step bottom face and forming a support pillar step portion at the tip portion of the support pillar, the support pillar step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending diagonally upward from the step bottom face in a way that the tip portion of the support pillar tapers to become thinner toward a tip end of the tip portion, wherein a plate thickness of the sealing body is larger than a height of the step side face of the support pillar step portion, a placing process of placing the sealing body on the jacket body to form a first butted portion, a second butted portion, a third butted portion and a fourth butted portion, the first butted portion where the step side face of the peripheral wall step portion and an outer peripheral side face of the sealing body butt each other, the second butted portion where a back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the peripheral wall step portion, the third butted portion where the step side face of the support pillar portion and a hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body portion butt each other with a gap present between the step side face of the support pillar portion and the hole wall, the fourth butted portion where the back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the support pillar step bottom face, and a second primary joining process of friction-stirring being performed by inserting the tip side pin and the base side pin of the rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body and moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the outer circumferential face of the base side pin being in contact with a front face of the sealing body and with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being kept off the step side face of the support pillar step portion while having the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body flow into the gap.

According to the method above described for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket, the second aluminum alloy, which is present on a side of the third butted portion where the sealing body is, is mainly friction-stirred with friction heat between the sealing body and both the base side pin and the tip side pin, and plastically flows. As a result, the step side face of the support pillar step portion and the hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body can be joined together in the third butted portion. In addition, since friction-stirring is performed with the base side pin and the tip side pin being in contact only with the sealing body, the first aluminum alloy hardly mixes into the sealing body from the jacket body. Accordingly, the second aluminum alloy is mainly friction-stirred in the third butted portion, which suppresses the strength of the joined portion decreasing. In addition, since the step side face of the support pillar step portion tapers to become thinner towards its tip, both the base side pin and the tip side pin can be easily prevented from coming in contact with the jacket body without decreasing the strength of the joined portion. In addition, since a thickness of the sealing body is increased to have the plastically flowing material sufficiently flow into the gap in the third butted portion, the joined portion can be prevented from being short of metal.

In addition, the friction-stirring in the second primary joining process as described above is performed preferably by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the tip side pin being slightly in contact with the step bottom face of the support pillar step portion.

According to this method, the strength of the joined fourth butted portion can be increased.

In addition, the present invention provides a feature of a method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket joining a jacket body and a sealing body through friction-stirring, wherein the jacket body includes a bottom portion, a peripheral wall portion extending upward from a peripheral edge of the bottom portion and a support pillar extending upward from the bottom portion, and is made of a first aluminum alloy, the sealing body includes a hole portion into which a tip portion of the support pillar is inserted, seals an opening of the jacket body and is made of a second aluminum alloy, the first aluminum alloy has a higher hardness than a hardness of the second aluminum alloy, a rotary tool is a rotary tool for primary joining for the friction stirring and includes a base side pin and a tip side pin, the base side pin has a taper angle larger than that of the tip side pin, and the rotary tool includes a pin step portion formed in a staircase shape on an outer circumferential face of the base side pin, the method comprising a preparation process of forming a peripheral wall step portion along an inner peripheral edge of the peripheral wall portion, the peripheral wall step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending upward toward the opening of the jacket body from the step bottom face and forming a support pillar step portion at the tip portion of the support pillar, the support pillar step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending diagonally upward from the step bottom face in a way that the tip portion of the support pillar tapers to become thinner toward a tip end of the tip portion, wherein a plate thickness of the sealing body is larger than a height of the step side face of the support pillar step portion, a placing process of placing the sealing body on the jacket body to form a first butted portion, a second butted portion, a third butted portion and a fourth butted portion, the first butted portion where the step side face of the peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral side face of the sealing body butt each other, the second butted portion where a back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the peripheral wall step portion, the third butted portion where the step side face of the support pillar portion and a hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body portion butt each other with a gap present between the step side face of the support pillar portion and the hole wall, the fourth butted portion where the back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the support pillar step bottom face and a second primary joining process of friction-stirring being performed by inserting the tip side pin and the base side pin of the rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body and moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the outer circumferential face of the base side pin being in contact with a front face of the sealing body and with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being slightly in contact with the step side face of the support pillar step portion while having the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body flow into the gap.

According to the method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket, the second aluminum alloy, which is present on a side of the third butted portion where the sealing body is, is mainly friction-stirred with friction heat between the sealing body and both the base side pin and the tip side pin, and plastically flows. As a result, the step side face of the support pillar step portion and the hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body can be joined together in the third butted portion. In addition, since friction-stirring is performed with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being only slightly in contact with the step side face of the support pillar step portion, an amount of the first aluminum mixing into the sealing body from the jacket body can be kept very small.

In addition, since the step side face of the support pillar step portion inclines tapering to become thinner towards its tip, the third butted portion is joined without a large portion of the tip side pin coming into the jacket body. In addition, since a thickness of the sealing body is increased to have the plastically flowing material sufficiently flow into the gap in the third butted portion, the joined portion can be prevented from being short of metal.

In addition, the friction-stirring in the second primary joining process as described above is performed preferably by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the tip side pin being slightly in contact with the step bottom face of the support pillar step portion.

According to this method, the strength of the joined fourth butted portion can be increased.

In addition, the friction-stirring in the second primary joining process above described is performed preferably by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion and making one round around the support pillar step portion.

This method as described can improve a water-tightness property and a gas-tightness property of the liquid cooling jacket.

In addition, the method above described preferably comprises further a first primary joining process of friction-stirring on the first butted portion by moving the rotary tool one round along the first butted portion.

This method as described can improve a water-tightness property and a gas-tightness property of the liquid cooling jacket.

In addition, the preparation process preferably includes the following steps of the jacket body being formed through die-casting, the bottom portion of the jacket body being formed in a raised shape with a front face of the bottom portion being raised, and the sealing body being formed in a raised shape with a front face of the sealing body being raised.

The sealing body of the liquid cooling jacket can deform to be in a recessed shape due to its thermal contraction caused by the heat to be conducted to the plasticized zone through friction-stir-welding. However, according to this method, both the jacket body and the sealing body are deformed to be in a raised shape in advance of joining and the liquid cooling jacket can be made flat by the thermal contraction.

In addition, preferably, a deformation amount of the jacket body is measured in advance and the friction-stirring is performed while an insertion depth of the base side pin and the tip side pin of the rotary tool is being adjusted in accordance with the deformation amount in the first primary joining process.

According to this method, the plasticized zone formed in the liquid cooling jacket can have a uniform depth and a uniform width, when friction-stir-welding is performed with both the jacket body and the sealing body deformed in a raised shape.

In addition, a provisional joining process to provisionally join the first butted portion is preferably performed prior to the first primary joining process.

The method as described including the provisional joining process can prevent a gap from being formed at the first butted portion.

In addition, preferably a cooling plate in which a cooling medium flows is fixed on a back face of the bottom portion and the friction-stirring is performed while the jacket body and the sealing body are being cooled by the cooling plate, in the first primary joining process.

The method as described can dissipate friction heat and decrease deformation of the liquid cooling jacket to be caused by the thermal contraction.

In addition, a front face of the cooling plate is preferably made to be in face-contact with the back face of the bottom portion. This method can enhance cooling efficiency.

In addition, the cooling plate includes preferably a cooling passage through which the cooling medium flows and the cooling passage, and the cooling passage has a planar shape that corresponds to a moving track along which the rotary tool moves in the first primary joining process.

Since the method as described enables intensively cooling the portion that is being friction-stirred, the cooling efficiency is further enhanced.

In addition, the cooling passage through which the cooling medium flows is constituted preferably by a cooling pipe that is embedded in the cooling plate.

The method as described enables easily controlling the cooling medium.

In addition, in the first primary joining process, the friction-stirring is preferably performed while the jacket body and the sealing body are being cooled by a cooling medium being made to flow in a hollow portion formed by the jacket body and the sealing body.

The method as described enables dissipating the friction heat and making small the deformation of the liquid cooling jacket caused by thermal contraction. The cooling is performed by using the jacket body without using the cooling plate and the like.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

The method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the present invention enables joining different aluminum alloys in a desirable manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a primary joining rotary tool of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the primary joining rotary tool.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a rotary tool of a first modification example used for the primary joining.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a rotary tool of a second modification example used for the primary joining.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a rotary tool of a third modification example used for the primary joining.

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a placing process of a method for manufacturing the liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a first primary joining process of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the first primary joining process of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of joined members after the first primary joining process of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second primary joining process of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the second primary joining process of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 schematically shows a conventional rotary tool.

FIG. 14 schematically shows a conventional rotary tool.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a first primary joining process of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a first primary joining process of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a first primary joining process of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a first primary joining process of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a first modification example of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20A shows a second modification example of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view of a table.

FIG. 20B shows the second modification example of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling process of the first embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view of a jacket body and a sealing body that are clamped to the table.

FIG. 21 is a perspective exploded view of a third example of a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 shows the third example of the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the first embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view of a jacket body and a sealing body being clamped to a table.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling-jacket.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present invention is described appropriately with reference to the drawings. To begin with, a primary joining rotary tool (rotary tool) used for a joining method of this embodiment is described. The primary joining rotary tool is intended to be used for friction-stir-welding. As shown in FIG. 1, the primary joining rotary tool F is made of, for example, tool steel and consists mainly of a base shaft portion F1, a base side pin F2 and a tip side pin F3. The base shaft pin F1 is in a columnar shape and connected with a main shaft of a friction stir welding apparatus.

The base side pin F2 is formed to extend from the base shaft portion F1 and tapers to be thinner toward its tip side. The base side pin F2 is in a conical shape with its tip portion cut off. The base side pin F2 has a taper angle A that may be appropriately set, for example, to between 135° and 160°. If the taper angle A is smaller than 135° or larger than 160°, a joined surface after friction-stirring has a surface roughness that is relatively large. This taper angle A is set to be larger than a taper angle B of the tip side pin F3, which is described later. As shown in FIG. 2, a pin step portion F21 in a staircase shape is formed on an outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 wholly in its height direction. The pin step portion F21 is formed in a clockwise or counterclockwise spiral shape. That is, the pin step portion F21 is in a spiral shape in its plane view and in a staircase shape in its side view. Since the primary joining rotary tool F is rotated clockwise for this embodiment, the pin step portion F21 is formed in the clockwise shape from a base side to a tip side of the base side pin F2.

If the primary joining rotary tool F rotates counterclockwise, the pin step portion is preferably formed clockwise from the base side to the tip side. This enables reducing an amount of metal coming out of the metal member to be joined, because the plastically flowing material is led toward the tip side of the base side pin F2 by the pin step portion F21. The pin step portion F21 is formed by a step bottom face F21 a and a step side face F21 b. A distance X1 (horizontal direction distance) between adjacent apexes F21 c, F21 c on the pin step portion 21 is appropriately set based on a step angle C and a height Y1 of the step side face F21 b, which are described later.

The height Y1 of the step side face F21 b may be preferably set, for example, to between 0.1 and 0.4 mm. If the height Y1 is less than 0.1 mm, the joined surface has a relatively large surface roughness. On the other hand, if the height Y1 is more than 0.4 mm, the joined surface tends to have a relatively large surface roughness and the number of effective steps (number of steps of the pin step portion F21 in contact with the metal member to be joined) becomes fewer.

The step angle C made between the step bottom face F21 a and the step side face F21 b may appropriately set and, for example, set to between 85° and 120°. The step bottom face F21 a in this embodiment is in parallel with a horizontal plane. The step bottom face F21 a may be inclined by between −5° and 15° relative to the horizontal plane from a rotation axis of the rotary tool toward its outer circumference (a minus angle corresponds to the step bottom face F21 a extending outward inclining downward relative to the horizontal plane and a plus angle corresponds to the step bottom face F21 a extending outward inclining upward relative to the horizontal plane). The distance X1, the height Y1 of the step side face F21 b, the step angle C and the angle of the step bottom face F21 a relative to the horizontal plane are set in a manner that the plastically flowing material flows out of the pin step portion F21 without being stuck in and adhering to the pin step portion F21 and is sufficiently held down by the step bottom face F21 a for the joined surface to have a relatively small surface roughness.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tip side pin F3 is formed to extend continuously from the base side pin F2. The tip side pin F3 is in a conical shape with its tip portion cut off. The tip side pin F3 has a flat face F4 that is formed on its tip portion and is perpendicular to the rotation axis. The tip side pin F3 has a taper angle B that is smaller than the taper angle A of the base side pin F2. As shown in FIG. 2, a spiral groove F31 is engraved on an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3. The spiral groove F31 may be formed clockwise or counterclockwise. Since the primary joining rotary tool F is rotated clockwise in this embodiment, the spiral groove is engraved counterclockwise from a base side to a tip side of the tip side pin F3.

If the primary joining rotary tool F is rotated counterclockwise, the spiral groove F31 is preferably formed clockwise from the base side to the tip side of the tip side pin F3. This enables reducing an amount of metal coming out of the metal member to be joined, because the plastically flowing material is led toward the tip side of the tip side pin F3 by the spiral groove F31. The spiral groove F31 is formed by a spiral bottom face F31 a and a spiral side face F31 b. A distance X2 denotes a distance (horizontal direction distance) between adjacent apexes F31 c, F31 c on a pin step portion. A height Y2 denotes a height of the spiral side face F31 b. A spiral angle D made between the spiral bottom face F31 a and the spiral side face F31 b may be formed, for example, to be between 45° and 90°. The spiral groove F31 is intended to function for increasing friction heat by contacting a metal member to be joined and leading the plastically flowing material toward the tip side.

The configuration of the primary joining rotary tool F may be appropriately modified. FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a first modification example of the rotary tool of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, a primary joining rotary tool FA of the first modification example has the step angle C between the step bottom face F21 a of the pin step portion F21 and the pin step side face F21 b of the pin step portion F21 being equal to 85°. The step bottom face 21 a is in parallel with the horizontal plane. Thus, the step angle C may be set to such an acute angle that the plastically flowing material is able to come out of the pin step portion F21 without being stuck in and adhering to the pin step portion F21 while friction-stirring is being performed, if the step bottom face F21 a is in parallel with the horizontal plane.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a second modification example of the primary joining rotary tool of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, a primary joining rotary tool FB of the second modification example has the step angle C of the pin step portion F21 being equal to 115°. The step bottom face F21 a is in parallel with the horizontal plane. Thus, the step angle C may be set to an obtuse angle as long as the pin step portion F21 functions as intended, if the step bottom face F21 a is in parallel with the horizontal plane.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a third modification example of the primary joining rotary tool of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, a primary joining rotary tool FC has the step bottom face F21 a extending from a rotation axis side toward an outer periphery inclining upward at 10° to the horizontal plane. The step side face F21 b is in parallel with a vertical plane. Thus, the step bottom face F21 a may be formed to incline upward relative to the horizontal plane from the rotation axis side toward an outer circumference so that the plastically flowing material is held down while friction-stirring is being performed. If any of the primary joining tools of the first to third modification examples above mentioned is used, an equivalent effect to that for the embodiments described below is obtained.

First Embodiment

The method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 6, the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket 1 of this embodiment is intended to manufacture a liquid-cooling jacket 1 by friction-stir-welding on a sealing body 3 and a jacket body 2. The liquid-cooling jacket 1 is a device inside which liquid flows and to which heat is transferred from a heat generating body member (not shown) mounted on the sealing body 3. In the description below, “front face” means an opposite face of “back face”.

In the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of this embodiment, a preparation process, a placing process, a first primary joining process and a second primary joining process are performed. The preparation process is a process in which the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are prepared. The jacket body 2 includes a bottom portion 10, a peripheral wall portion 11 and plural support pillars 15. The jacket body 2 is made mainly of a first aluminum alloy. The first aluminum alloy is, for example, an aluminum alloy for casting such as JIS H5302 ADC12 (Al—Si—Cu system).

The bottom portion 10 is a plate-like portion in a rectangular shape in a plan view. The peripheral wall portion 11 is a wall portion extending upward from a peripheral edge of the wall portion 10 to be in a rectangular frame shape. A recessed portion 13 is formed of the bottom portion 10 and the peripheral wall portion 11. A peripheral wall step portion 12 is formed along an inner peripheral edge of the peripheral bottom portion 11. The peripheral wall step portion 12 is formed by a step bottom face 12 a and a step side face 12 b extending upward from the step bottom face 12 a. As shown in FIG. 7, the step side face 12 b extends upward from the step bottom face 12 a toward an opening of the jacket body 2 inclining outward. An inclination angle ß may be appropriately set and is, for example, between 3° and 30° relative to the vertical plane. Then, the step side face 12 b may be perpendicular to step bottom face 12 a.

As shown in FIG. 6, the support pillars 15 extend vertically from the bottom portion 10. There is no limitation on the number of the support pillars 15, and four support pillars 15 are formed in this embodiment. The support pillars 15 are in a columnar shape in this embodiment and may be in any different shape. A protruding portion 16, which has a circular truncated cone shape, is formed at a top portion of each of the support pillar 15. As a result of the protruding portion 16 being formed on an end face of the support pillar, a support pillar step portion 17 is formed. The support pillar step portion 17 is formed by a step bottom face 17 a and a step side face 17 b extending upward from the step bottom face 17 a. The step side face 17 b has such an inclination that the step side face 17 b inclines tapering to be thinner towards a tip of the support pillar 15. An inclination angle δ of the step side face 17 b may be appropriately set and is set, for example, to between 3 and 30 degrees relative to the vertical plane in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the step bottom face 17 a of the support pillar step portion 17 is formed at the same height as the step bottom face 12 a of the peripheral wall step portion 12. The end face 16 a of the protruding portion 16 is formed to be at the same height as the 11 a of the 11. The jacket body 2 may be formed by the bottom portion 10 and the outer peripheral portion 11 which are separate from each other and joined together with a seal member.

As shown in FIG. 6, the sealing body 3 is a plate-like member to close the opening of the jacket body 2. The sealing body 3 is sized to be placed on the peripheral wall step portion 12. The sealing body 3 has a plate thickness that is larger than a height of the step side face 12 b. The sealing body 3 is made mainly of a second aluminum alloy. The second aluminum alloy is a material having a hardness that is lower than the first aluminum alloy has. The second aluminum alloy may be an aluminum expanded material such as JIS A1050, A1100 or A6063. A thickness of the sealing body 3 may be appropriately set so that a joined portion is not short of metal after a first primary joining process to be described later.

There are plural hole portions 4 formed through the sealing body 3. The hole portions 4 are formed at positions respectively corresponding to the protruding portion 16 of the support pillars 15. Each of the hole portions 4 has a hollow portion in a columnar shape and has such a size that the protruding portion 16 is inserted therein.

The placing process is a process to place the sealing body 3 on the jacket body 2, as shown in FIG. 7. In the placing process, a back face 3 b of the sealing body 3 is placed on the step bottom face 12 a. As a result, the step side face 12 b and an outer peripheral side face 3 c of the sealing body 3 butt each other to form a first butted portion J1. The first butted portion J1 may be a portion where the step side face 12 b and the outer peripheral side face 3 c of the sealing body 3 are in face-contact with each other, or may be a portion where the step side face 12 b and the outer peripheral side face 3 c of the sealing body 3 butt each other with a gap present therebetween that is seen approximately in a wedge shape in a cross-sectional view as described in the present embodiment. A second butted portion J2 is formed by the step bottom face 12 a and a back face 3 b of the sealing body 3 that are made to butt each other.

In addition, a third butted portion J3 is formed by the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 and a hole wall 4 a of the hole portion 4 that are made to butt each other. The third butted portion J3 may be an butted portion with a gap seen approximately in a wedge shape in a cross section of the third butted portion J3. In addition, a fourth butted portion J4 is formed by the back face 3 b of the sealing body 3 and the step bottom face 17 a of the support pillar step portion 17 which are made to butt each other.

The first primary joining process is a process to friction-stir-weld on the first butted portion J1 with the primary joining rotary tool F, as shown in FIG. 8. In the first primary joining process, the primary joining rotary tool F that is rotating clockwise is inserted at a starting position Sp predetermined on a front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 and is moved in translation clockwise along the periphery of the sealing body 3 while having a plastically flowing material flow into the gap in the first butted portion J1. A plasticized region W1 is formed of metal that has been friction-stirred and hardened along a moving track along which the primary joining rotary tool F has moved.

As shown in FIG. 9, friction-stirring is performed in the first primary joining process with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being in contact with the sealing body 3 and with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being kept off the step side face 12 b. An insertion depth of the primary joining rotary tool F is set to such a depth that friction-stirring is performed with an outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 being in contact with a front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 and with the tip side pin F3 being kept off and above the step bottom face 12 a. Furthermore, the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 is kept off the 11 a. The state in which the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 is kept off the jacket body 2 may be a state in which a distance between the tip side pin F3 and the step side face 12 b is zero.

If the distance from the step side face 12 b to the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 is too large, the strength of the joined first butted portion J1 decreases. A separation distance L from the step side face 12 b to the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 may be appropriately set based on the materials of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3, and may be set to 0≤L≤0.5 mm, and is preferably 0≤L≤0.3 mm, if the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 is kept off the step side face 12 b and the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 is kept off and above the step bottom face 12 a, as is the case with the present embodiment.

After the primary joining rotary tool F is made to move one round along the outer periphery of the sealing body 3, the primary joining rotary tool F is stopped at the position in the plasticized region W1 from which the primary joining rotary tool F started to move in translation. Then, the primary joining rotary tool F may be lifted gradually upward and pulled out of the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3. FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the joined portion after the first primary joining process of the present embodiment. The plasticized region W1 borders the first butted portion J1 and is formed on a side of the first butted portion J1 where the sealing body 3 is.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the second primary joining process is a process to friction-stir-weld on the third butted portion J3 with the primary joining rotary tool F. In the second primary joining process as shown in FIG. 11, the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 that are rotating clockwise is inserted at a start position predetermined on the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 and moved one round along the hole wall 4 a of the hole portion 4 while the plastically flowing material is being made to flow into the gap in the third butted portion J3. The plasticized zone W2 is formed along a track along which the primary joining rotary tool F has moved after the friction-stirred metal hardens.

As shown in FIG. 12, friction-stirring is performed in the second primary joining process with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being in contact with the sealing body 3 and with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being not in contact with the step side face 17 b. In addition, the insertion depth of the primary joining rotary tool F is kept at such a depth that friction-stirring is performed with the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 being in contact with the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 and with the tip side pin F3 being not in contact with the step bottom face 17 a. In addition, the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 is kept off the end face 16 a of the protruding portion 16. The state in which the tip side pin F3 is kept off the protruding portion 16 may be a state in which a distance between the tip side pin F3 and the step side face 17 b is zero.

After the primary joining tool F is moved one round around the hole portion 4, the primary joining rotary tool F is stopped at a position in the plasticized region W2 from which the primary joining rotary tool F started to move in translation. Then, the primary joining rotary tool F may be lifted gradually upward and pulled out of the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3. A separation distance L from the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 to the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 may be set in the same way as in the first primary joining process.

According to the method for manufacturing the liquid-cooling jacket of this embodiment as has been described, the second aluminum alloy on a side of the first butted portion J1, where the sealing body 3 is, is mainly friction-stirred to flow plastically by friction heat between the sealing body 3 and both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3, and thus the step side face 12 b and the outer peripheral side face 3 c of the sealing body 3 can be joined together at the first butted portion J1. In addition, since friction-stirring is performed with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being in contact only with the sealing body 3, the first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 hardly mixes into the sealing body 3. Accordingly, since the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body 3 is mainly friction-stirred at the first butted portion J1, the strength of the joined portion is prevented from decreasing. In addition, the step side face 12 b of the jacket body 2 is formed to incline outward toward the opening of the jacket body 2, both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 are easily prevented from coming into contact with the jacket body 2 without decreasing the strength of the joined portion. In addition, since the thickness of the sealing body 3 is increased and the plastically flowing material is made to flow into the gap in the first butted portion J1, the joined portion can be prevented from being short of metal.

If the conventional rotary tool 900 as shown in FIG. 13 is used, the metal member 910 to be joined is not held down by the shoulder portion, which results in problems with a recessed groove (formed by the front face of the metal member to be joined and a surface of the plasticized region) becoming larger and a surface roughness of the joined face becoming larger. In addition, there would be a problem that a raised portion (portion of joined metal members having a front face raised from the front face of the joined metal members before joining) could be formed on the side of the recessed groove. On the other hand, if a rotary tool 901 as shown in FIG. 14, which has a taper angle E2 being larger than the taper angle E1 of the rotary tool 900, is used, the recessed groove would be made smaller and the raised portion is made smaller as well, because the front face of the metal member to be joined can be more strongly held down than the rotary tool 900. However, downward plasticized material flow would be so strong that a kissing bond is more likely to be formed under the plasticized region.

To the contrary, the primary joining rotary tool F of the present embodiment includes the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 having the taper angle B smaller than the taper angle A of the base side pin F2. Due to this configuration, the primary joining rotary tool F can be easily inserted into the sealing body 3. In addition, since the taper angle B of the tip side pin F3 is smaller, the primary joining rotary tool F can be easily inserted to a deep position in the sealing body 3. In addition, due to the taper angle B of the tip side pin F3 being smaller, the plasticized material flowing downward is suppressed, compared with the rotary tool 901. Accordingly, a kissing bond can be prevented from being formed under the plasticized region W1. On the other hand, since the taper angle A of the base side pin F2 is larger, joining is more reliably performed with this rotary tool than with the conventional rotary tool, even if the thickness of the metal member to be joined varies or the height position of the joining varies.

In addition, since the plastically flowing material can be held down by the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2, the recessed groove formed on the joined face can be made smaller and the raised portion that can be formed on the side of the recessed groove is not formed or made smaller if it is formed. In addition, since the pin step portion F21 is relatively shallow and has a wide exit, the plastically flowing material can easily flow out of the pin step portion F21 though the plastically flowing material is held down by the step bottom face F21 a. As a result, the plastically flowing material is hardly stuck on the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2, though the plastically flowing material is held down by the base side pin F2. Accordingly, the surface roughness of the joined portion is made smaller and the joining quality is preferably stabilized.

In addition, since the step side face 12 b of the jacket body 2 inclines outward toward the opening of the jacket body 2 in the first primary joining process, the tip side pin F3 can be easily prevented from coming in contact with the jacket body 2. In addition, since the inclination angle ß of the step side face 12 b (See FIG. 7) is equal to the inclination angle α (See FIG. 1) of the tip side pin F3 (the step side face 12 b is in parallel with the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3) in the present embodiment, the tip side pin F3 can be positioned very close to the step side face 12 b, while the tip side pin F3 is prevented from coming in contact with the step side face 12 b.

In addition, although the rotation direction and the moving direction of the primary joining rotary tool F can be appropriately determined in the first primary joining process, the rotation direction and the moving direction of the primary joining rotary tool F are set in a manner that the jacket body 2 is positioned on a shear side of the plasticized region W1 formed along a moving track along which the primary joining rotary tool F has moved while the sealing body 3 is positioned on a flow side of the plasticized region W1. Since the jacket body portion 2 is positioned on the shear side, the stirring action by the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 is enhanced in the vicinity of the first butted portion J1, the temperature at the first butted portion J1 presumably becomes higher, which contributes to more reliably joining the step side face 12 b and the outer peripheral side face 3 c of the sealing body 3 at the first butted portion J1.

The shear side (advancing side) refers to a side where a relative velocity of the rotary tool at its circumference relative to a portion to be joined is a summation of a tangential velocity of the rotary tool and a moving velocity of the rotary tool. On the other hand, the flow side (retreating side) refers to a side where the rotary tool is rotated to move in an opposite direction to the moving direction in which the rotary tool is moved. Thus, the relative velocity of the rotary tool at its circumference relative to a portion to be joined is lower.

In addition, performing the second primary joining process can increase the joining strength between the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3.

In addition, friction-stirring is performed with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 kept off the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 in the second primary joining process as well. As a result, the second aluminum alloy, which is present on a side of the third butted portion J3, where the sealing body 3 is, is mainly friction-stirred and made to plastically flow due to friction heat between the sealing body 3 and both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3, and the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 and the hole wall 4 a of the hole portion 4 of the sealing body 3 can be joined together at the third butted portion J3.

In addition, since the friction-stirring is performed with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being in contact only with the sealing body 3, the first aluminum alloy hardly mixes into the sealing body 3 from the jacket body 2. As a result, the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body 3 is mainly friction-stirred at the third butted portion J3, which enables suppressing a decrease in the strength of the joined portion. In addition, since the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 inclines tapering to become thinner towards its tip, it is possible to easily avoid both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 coming in contact with the jacket body 2 without decreasing the joining strength. In addition, the thickness of the sealing body 3 is larger to have the plastically flowing material flow into the gap at the third butted portion J3, which enables preventing the joined portion from being short of metal.

In addition, the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 inclines tapering to become thinner toward its tip, which enables easily preventing the tip side pin F3 from coming in contact with the support pillar 15 of the jacket body 2. In addition, since the inclination angle δ of the step side face 17 b (as seen in FIG. 7) is set to be equal to the inclination angle α of the tip side pin F3 (as seen in FIG. 1, then the step side face 17 b is in parallel with the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3), the tip side pin F3 can be positioned very close to the step side face 17 b though the tip side pin 3 is kept off the step side face 17 b.

In the second primary joining process, friction-stirring may be performed with both the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 being kept off the step side face 17 b and with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being in contact with the step bottom face 17 a of the support pillar step portion 17, which results in an increase in the joining strength at the fourth butted portion.

In addition, since the thickness of the sealing body 3 is set to be larger than the height of the step side face 12 b, it is possible to prevent the first butted portion J1 and the third butted portion J3 from being short of metal. In addition, the sealing body 3 having a larger thickness contributes to making the heat dissipation more efficient, compared with the sealing body 3 having a smaller thickness.

In addition, since the first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 has a hardness higher than that of the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body 3, durability of the liquid-cooling jacket 1 is improved. The first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 is preferably a cast aluminum alloy and the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body 3 is preferably a wrought aluminum alloy. For example, if an Al—Si—Cu system aluminum alloy casting material such as JIS H5302 ADC 12 is used for the first aluminum alloy, the jacket body 2 has good castability, high strength and cutting property. In addition, if JIS A1xxx aluminum or JIS A6xxx aluminum alloy is used for the second aluminum alloy, the second aluminum alloy has good workability and high thermal conductivity.

In addition, any one of the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process may be performed prior to the other primary joining process. Furthermore, a provisional joining through friction-stirring or welding may be performed on the first butted portion J1 prior to the first primary joining process. If the provisional joining is performed, a gap can be prevented from being formed in the butted portion when each of the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process is performed.

Second Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a second embodiment of the present invention is described. A preparation process, a placing process, a first primary joining process and a second primary joining process are performed for the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the second embodiment. The preparation process, the placing process and the second primary joining process in the second embodiment are equivalent to corresponding processes in the first embodiment. Accordingly, no explanation on these processes is repeated. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the primary joining rotary tool F moves along the first butted portion J1 in the first primary joining process, friction-stirring is performed with the tip side pin F3 being positioned to have a small portion of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 12 b and with the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 being in contact with the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3. In the first primary joining process, the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2 is not in contact with the peripheral wall end face 11 a, and the tip side pin F3 is not in contact with the step bottom face 12 a.

An overlapped amount of the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 across the step side face 12 b is denoted by an offset width N. When the tip side pin F3 is positioned to have a small portion of the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 12 b with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being positioned off and above the step bottom face 12 a, as is the case with this embodiment, the offset amount N should be set to 0<N≤0.5 mm and is preferably set to 0<N≤0.25 mm.

Since the tip side pin F3 is positioned to have only a small portion of the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 12 b in the first primary joining process of this embodiment, an amount of the first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 mixing into the sealing body 3 can be kept very small while the first butted portion J1 can be reliably joined.

In addition, since the step side face 12 b is in parallel with the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3, the overlapped amount of the tip side pin F3 across the step side face 12 b is constant in the height direction. As a result, if the tip side pin is positioned to have a small portion of the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 12 b of the peripheral wall step portion 12, the plastically flowing material is stirred relatively homogeneously over the friction-stirred region, which contributes to suppressing the decrease in the strength of the joined portion.

In addition, since the plastically flowing material is held down by the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2, as is the case with the first embodiment, the recessed groove formed on the surface of the joined portion can be made smaller while the raised portion that can be formed on the side of the recessed groove is not formed or can be made smaller if it is formed. Furthermore, the surface roughness of the joined portion is made smaller as well, and the quality of the joined portion is preferably stabilized.

Third Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a third embodiment of the present invention is described. A preparation process, a placing process, a first primary joining process and a second primary joining process are performed for the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the third embodiment. The preparation process, the placing process and the second primary joining process in the third embodiment are equivalent to corresponding processes in the first embodiment. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

In the first primary joining process of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, friction-stir-welding is performed by moving the primary joining rotary tool F along the first butted portion J1 with the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 being kept off the step side face 12 b and with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being positioned a short length below the step bottom face 12 a.

The third embodiment can provide generally the same effect as the first embodiment. In addition, since friction-stir-welding is performed with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being positioned below the step bottom face 12 a, the strength of the second butted portion J2 is increased. Furthermore, since the tip side pin F3 is positioned to have only a small tip portion of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step bottom face 12 a, the first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 can be well prevented from mixing into the sealing body 3.

Fourth Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a fourth embodiment of the present invention is described. A preparation process, a placing process, a first primary joining process and a second primary joining process are performed for the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the fourth embodiment. The preparation process, the placing process and the second primary joining process in the fourth embodiment are equivalent to corresponding processes in the first embodiment. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

In the first primary joining process of the fourth embodiment as shown in FIG. 17, friction-stirring is performed with the tip side pin F3 being positioned to have a small portion of the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 12 b and with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being positioned a short length below the step bottom face 12 a. In the first primary joining process of this embodiment, friction-stirring is performed with the front face 3 a of the sealing body being held down by the outer circumferential face of the base side pin F2. The offset width N of the tip side pin F3 across the step side face 12 b is set in the same way as in the second embodiment.

The fourth embodiment can provide generally the same effect as the second embodiment. In addition, since friction-stirring is performed with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being positioned below the step bottom face 12 a, the joining strength of the second butted portion J2 is increased. Furthermore, since the flat face F4 is positioned only a short length below the step bottom face 12 a, the first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 can be well prevented from mixing into the sealing body 3.

Fifth Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a fifth embodiment of the present invention is described. A preparation process, a placing process, a first primary joining process and a second primary joining process are performed for the method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of the fifth embodiment. The preparation process, the placing process and the first primary joining process in the fifth embodiment are equivalent to corresponding processes in the first embodiment. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

In the second primary joining process of the fifth embodiment as shown in FIG. 18, friction-stirring is performed with a small portion of the tip side pin F3 being in contact with the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17 and with the flat face F4 of the tip side pin F3 being positioned off and above the step bottom face 17 a. The base side pin F2 is in contact with the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 and not in contact with the end face 16 a of the protruding portion 16. Friction-stirring in the second primary joining process is performed while the plastically flowing material is being made to flow into the gap in the third butted portion J3. An overlapped amount of the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin F3 and the step side face 17 b may be appropriately set and is preferably set in the same way as the off-set amount N for the first primary joining process of the second embodiment (as indicated in FIG. 2).

The fifth embodiment can provide approximately the same effects as the first embodiment. In addition, since the support pillars 15 are joined to the sealing body 3 in the second primary joining process of the fifth embodiment, the members are more firmly joined. In addition, since the tip side pin F3 is positioned to have only a small portion of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 17 b of the support pillar step portion 17, an amount of the first aluminum alloy of the jacket body 2 mixing into the sealing body 3 can be kept very small. As a result, the second aluminum alloy is mainly friction-stirred at the third butted portion J3, which suppresses a decrease in the strength of the joined members.

Friction-stirring may be performed with the flat face F4 positioned a small length across the step bottom face 17 a of the support pillar step portion 17 in the second primary joining process of the fifth embodiment. That is, in the second primary joining process of this embodiment, the tip side pin F3 may be positioned to have a small portion of the tip side pin F3 disposed across the step side face 17 b and the flat face F4 may be positioned a small length across the step bottom face 17 a. As a result, the fourth butted portion J4 can be firmly joined as well while an amount of the first aluminum alloy mixing into the sealing body 3 from the jacket body 2 can be kept very small.

First Modification Example of the First Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a first modification example of the first embodiment is described. As shown in FIG. 19, the first modification example differs from the first embodiment in that the provisional joining process, the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process are performed in the first modification example, using a cooling plate. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

In the first modification example of the first embodiment, the jacket body 2 is clamped to a table K when a clamping process is performed. The table K includes a base plate K1 in a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, clamps K3 respectively fitted at four corners of the base plate K1 and a cooling pipe WP that is disposed to run in the base plate K1. The table K is a member to which the jacket body 2 is clamped and which functions as a “cooling plate” in the claims.

The cooling pipe WP is a pipe member embedded in the base plate K1. Cooling medium flows inside the cooling pipe WP. Though disposition of the cooling pipe WP, that is, a shape of a cooling passage through which the cooling medium flows, is not specifically limited, the planar shape of the cooling passage corresponds to the moving track along which the first primary joining rotary tool F is moved in the first primary joining process in this first modification example. Accordingly, the cooling pipe WP is disposed in a manner that the cooling pipe WP is seen overlapping roughly with the first butted portion J1 in a plan view.

In the provisional joining process, the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process of the first modification example, friction-stir-welding is performed with the cooling medium flowing in the cooling pipe WP after the jacket body 2 is clamped to the table K. Thus, friction heat generated by friction-stirring can be dissipated, and deformation of the liquid cooling jacket 1 caused by thermal contraction can be suppressed. In addition, since the cooling passage is disposed to overlap with the first butted portion J1 (moving track along which the provisional joining tool and the primary joining tool F are moved) in the plan view, a portion where friction heat is generated is intensively cooled, which contributes to enhancing cooling efficiency. In addition, since the cooling medium is made to circulate through the cooling pipe WP appropriately disposed, it is easy to control the flow of the cooling medium. In addition, the jacket body 2 is in face-contact with the table K (cooling plate), which results in the cooling efficiency being enhanced.

Furthermore, friction-stir-welding may be performed with the cooling medium being made to flow in the jacket body 2 while the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are being cooled with the table K (cooling plate).

Second Modification Example of the First Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a second modification example of the first embodiment is described. As shown in FIG. 20A and FIG. 20B, the second modification example differs from the first embodiment in that the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process are performed in the second modification example with both a front face of the jacket body 2 and the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 deforming to curve in a raised shape. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

A table KA as shown in FIG. 20A is used for the second modification example. The table KA includes a base plate KA1 in a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, a spacer KA2 disposed at a center of the base plate KA1 and clamps KA3 fitted respectively at four corner portions of the base plate KA1. The spacer KA2 may be formed integrally with the base plate KA1 or may be a separate member from the base plate KA1.

In the clamping process of the second modification example, as shown in FIG. 20B, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3, which are joined together through the provisional joining process, are clamped to the table KA with the clamps KA3. There are plasticized regions W formed through the provisional joining process.

After the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are clamped to the table KA, the bottom portion 10 of the jacket body 2, the peripheral wall end face 11 a and the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 deform to curve in a raised shape with their center portions raised. To be more specific, a first side portion 21 of a wall portion 11A of the jacket body 2, a second side portion 22 of a wall portion 11B, a third wall portion 23 of a wall portion 11C and a fourth side portion 24 of a wall portion 11D deform to curve.

In the first and second primary joining processes of the second modification example, friction-stir-welding is performed with the primary joining rotary tool F. In the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process, a deformation amount of at least one of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 is measured in advance, and friction-stir-welding is performed while insertion depths are adjusted according to the deformation amount that is measured. Accordingly, the primary joining rotary tool F is moved along a curved surface of the peripheral wall end face 11 a and the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 in a manner that the moving track along which the primary joining rotary tool F moves becomes a curved line. As a result, a depth and a width of the plasticized region are kept constant.

There is a risk that a side of the liquid cooling jacket 1 where the sealing body 3 of the liquid cooling jacket 1 deforms to be in a recessed shape due to thermal contraction of the plasticized region caused by input heat generated by friction-stirring. However, according to the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process of the second modification example, since the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are clamped in a raised shape with their center portions raised so that there remains a tensile stress on each of the peripheral wall end face 11 a and the front face 3 a, the liquid cooling jacket 1 can be made flat after the friction-stir-welding by the thermal contraction.

In addition, if the primary joining process is performed with a conventional rotary tool, a shoulder portion of the rotary tool comes in contact with the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 that curve in a raised shape with their center portions raised, which make the operation of the rotary tool difficult. However, the primary joining rotary tool F of the second modification example does not have a shoulder portion, and hence, there is no problem with the operation of the rotary tool F even if the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 curve in the raised shape

To measure deformations of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3, a height measurement device that has been known may be used. Using a friction-stirring apparatus provided with a measurement device to measure at least one of a height of the jacket body 2 from the table KA and a height of the sealing body 3 from the table KA, the first and second primary joining processes may be performed while measuring the deformation amount of the jacket body 2 or the deformation amount of the sealing body 3.

The jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are curved so that all of the first side portion 21 to the fourth side portion 24 are in a curved line shape in the second modification example as described above. However, the second modification example is not limited to this. For example, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 may be curved so that the third side portion 23 and the fourth side portion 24 are in curved shapes while the first side portion 21 and the second side portion 22 are straight or so that the first side portion 21 and the second side portion 22 are in curved shapes while the third side portion 23 and the fourth side portion 24 are straight.

In addition, in the second modification example, the height positions of the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 are changed according to deformation amounts of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3, the first and second primary joining processes may be performed while the heights of the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 from the table KA are kept constant.

In addition, the spacer KA2 may have any shape as long as the front face sides of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 can be clamped in a raised shape with their center portions raised. The spacer KA2 may be skipped if the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 can be clamped to have their front face sides raised. Furthermore, the primary joining rotary tool F may be fitted to a robot arm equipped with a rotation drive means such as a spindle unit thereon. The rotation axis of the primary joining rotary tool F can be easily oriented in various directions with this configuration.

Third Modification Example of the First Embodiment

Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid-cooling jacket of a third modification example of the first embodiment is described. As shown in FIG. 21, the third modification example differs from the first embodiment in that the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are formed in a raised shape with their front face sides being raised in advance in the preparation process. The following description focusses on differences from the first embodiment.

In the preparation process of the third modification example of the first embodiment, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are formed through diecasting to be curved in a manner that their front face sides are in a raised shape. As a result, the jacket body 2 has the bottom portion 10 and the peripheral wall portion 11 in a raised shape with their front face sides being raised. The sealing body 3 is curved with the front face 3 a in the raised shape.

As shown in FIG. 22, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 that are joined through the provisional joining are clamped when the clamping process is performed. A table KB includes a base plate KB1 in a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, a spacer KB2 disposed at a center of the base plate KB1, clamps KB3 respectively fitted at four corner portions and a cooling pipe WP disposed to run in the base plate KB1. The table KB is a member to which the jacket body 2 is clamped and which functions as a “cooling plate” in the claims.

The spacer KB2 is formed of a curved face KB2 a in a raised shape curved upward and vertical faces KB2 b, KB2 b formed respectively along both ends of the curved face KB2 a and extending vertically upward from the base plate KB1. The spacer KB2 has a first side portion Ka and a second side portion Kb that are in curved shapes and a third side portion Kc and a fourth side portion Kd that are in a straight shape.

The cooling pipe WP is a pipe member embedded in the base plate KB1. Cooling medium flows inside the cooling pipe WP. Though disposition of the cooling pipe WP, that is, a shape of a cooling passage through which the cooling medium flows, is not specifically limited, the planar shape of the cooling passage corresponds to the moving track along which the primary joining rotary tool F is moved in the first primary joining process in this third modification example. Accordingly, the cooling pipe WP is disposed in a manner that the cooling pipe WP is seen overlapping roughly with the first butted portion J1 in a plan view.

In the clamping process of the third modification example, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3, which are joined together through the provisional joining process, are clamped to the table KB with the clamps KB3. To be more specific, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 that are joined together are clamped to the table KB in a manner that a back face of the bottom portion 10 of the jacket body 2 is in face-contact with the curved face KB2 a. After the jacket body 2 is clamped to the table KB, the jacket body 2 curves in a manner that the jacket body has the first side portion 21 of a wall portion 11A and the second side portion 22 of a wall portion 11B that are curved lines while the jacket body has the third side portion 23 of a wall portion 11C and the fourth side portion 24 of a wall portion 11D that are straight lines.

In the first and second primary joining processes of the third modification example, friction-stir-welding is performed with the primary joining rotary tool F. A deformation amount of at least one of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 is measured in advance, and friction-stir-welding is performed in the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process while insertion depths of the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 are adjusted according to the deformation amount that is measured. Accordingly, the primary joining rotary tool F is made to move along a curved surface of the peripheral wall end faces 11 a and the front face 3 a of the sealing body 3 in a manner that the moving track along which the primary joining rotary tool F moves becomes a curved line or a straight line. As a result, a depth and a width of the plasticized region are kept constant.

There is a risk that a side of the liquid cooling jacket 1 where the sealing body 3 of the liquid cooling jacket 1 deforms to be in a recessed shape due to contraction of the plasticized region caused by input heat generated by friction-stirring. However, according to the first primary joining process and the second primary joining process of the third modification example, since the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are formed in a raised shape in advance so that the liquid cooling jacket 1 can be made flat after the friction-stir-welding by the thermal contraction.

In the third modification example, the back face of the bottom portion 10 of the jacket body 2, which is in a recessed shape, is made to be in face-contact with the curved face KB2 a of the spacer KB2. Thus, friction-stir-welding is performed while the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are more efficiently cooled. Since friction heat generated by friction-stirring is dissipated, deformation of the liquid cooling jacket 1 caused by thermal contraction can be suppressed. As a result, the curvatures of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3, which are formed in raised shapes, can be made smaller in the preparation process.

Deformation amounts of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 can be measured with a height measurement device that has been known. For example, the primary joining process may be performed while measuring a deformation amount of the jacket body 2 or the sealing body 3 by using a friction-stirring apparatus provided with a measurement device to measure at least one of a height of the jacket body 2 from the table KB and a height of the sealing body 3 from the table KB.

In the third modification example, the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3 are curved in a manner that the first side portion 21 and the second side portion 22 are in curved shapes. However other configurations are possible. For example, the spacer KB2 may have a spherical face, and the back face of the bottom portion 10 of the jacket body 2 may be made to be in face-contact with the spherical face. In this case, all of the first side portion 21 to the fourth side portion 24 are in curved shapes with the jacket body 2 being clamped to the table KB.

In the third modification example, the height of the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 is altered in accordance with the deformation amounts of the jacket body 2 and the sealing body 3. However, the primary joining process may be performed with the heights of the base side pin F2 and the tip side pin F3 from the table KB being kept constant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SIGNS

-   -   1 Liquid cooling jacket     -   2 Jacket body     -   3 Sealing body     -   3 a Front face     -   3 b Back face     -   3 c Outer peripheral side face     -   10 Bottom face     -   11 Peripheral wall portion     -   11 a Peripheral wall end face     -   12 Peripheral wall step portion     -   12 a Step bottom face     -   12 b Step side face     -   13 Recessed portion     -   15 Support pillar     -   16 Protruding portion     -   F Primary joining rotary tool (Rotary tool)     -   F1 Base shaft portion     -   F2 Base side pin     -   F3 Tip side pin     -   F4 Flat face     -   J1 First butted portion     -   J2 Second butted portion     -   J3 Third butted portion     -   J4 Fourth butted portion     -   K Table (Cooling plate)     -   W1 Plasticized region     -   W2 Plasticized region     -   WP Cooling pipe 

1. A method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket joining a jacket body and a sealing body through friction-stirring, wherein the jacket body includes a bottom portion, a peripheral wall portion extending upward from a peripheral edge of the bottom portion and a support pillar extending upward from the bottom portion, and is made of a first aluminum alloy, the sealing body includes a hole portion into which a tip portion of the support pillar is inserted, seals an opening of the jacket body, and is made of a second aluminum alloy, the first aluminum alloy has a higher hardness than a hardness of the second aluminum alloy, a rotary tool is a rotary tool for primary joining for the friction stirring and includes a base side pin and a tip side pin, the base side pin has a taper angle larger than that of the tip side pin, and the rotary tool includes a pin step portion formed in a staircase shape on an outer circumferential face of the base side pin, the method comprising: a preparation process of forming a peripheral wall step portion along an inner peripheral edge of the peripheral wall portion, the peripheral wall step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending upward toward the opening of the jacket body from the step bottom face and forming a support pillar step portion at the tip portion of the support pillar, the support pillar step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending diagonally upward from the step bottom face in a way that the tip portion of the support pillar tapers to become thinner toward a tip end of the tip portion, wherein a plate thickness of the sealing body is larger than a height of the step side face of the support pillar step portion; a placing process of placing the sealing body on the jacket body to form a first butted portion, a second butted portion, a third butted portion and a fourth butted portion, the first butted portion where the step side face of the peripheral wall step portion and an outer peripheral side face of the sealing body butt each other, the second butted portion where a back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the peripheral wall step portion, the third butted portion where the step side face of the support pillar portion and a hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body portion butt each other with a gap present between the step side face of the support pillar portion and the hole wall, the fourth butted portion where the back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the support pillar step bottom face; and a second primary joining process of friction-stirring being performed by inserting the tip side pin and the base side pin of the rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body and moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the outer circumferential face of the base side pin being in contact with a front face of the sealing body and with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being kept off the step side face of the support pillar step portion while having the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body flow into the gap.
 2. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the friction-stirring in the second primary joining process is performed by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the tip side pin being slightly in contact with the step bottom face of the support pillar step portion.
 3. A method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket joining a jacket body and a sealing body through friction-stirring, wherein the jacket body includes a bottom portion, a peripheral wall portion extending upward from a peripheral edge of the bottom portion and a support pillar extending upward from the bottom portion, and is made of a first aluminum alloy, the sealing body includes a hole portion into which a tip portion of the support pillar is inserted, seals an opening of the jacket body and is made of a second aluminum alloy, the first aluminum alloy has a higher hardness than a hardness of the second aluminum alloy, a rotary tool is a rotary tool for primary joining for the friction stirring and includes a base side pin and a tip side pin, the base side pin has a taper angle larger than that of the tip side pin, and the rotary tool includes a pin step portion formed in a staircase shape on an outer circumferential face of the base side pin, the method comprising: a preparation process of forming a peripheral wall step portion along an inner peripheral edge of the peripheral wall portion, the peripheral wall step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending upward toward the opening of the jacket body from the step bottom face and forming a support pillar step portion at the tip portion of the support pillar, the support pillar step portion including a step bottom face and a step side face extending diagonally upward from the step bottom face in a way that the tip portion of the support pillar tapers to become thinner toward a tip end of the tip portion, wherein a plate thickness of the sealing body is larger than a height of the step side face of the support pillar step portion; a placing process of placing the sealing body on the jacket body to form a first butted portion, a second butted portion, a third butted portion and a fourth butted portion, the first butted portion where the step side face of the peripheral wall step portion and an outer peripheral side face of the sealing body butt each other, the second butted portion where a back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the peripheral wall step portion, the third butted portion where the step side face of the support pillar portion and a hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body portion butt each other with a gap present between the step side face of the support pillar portion and the hole wall, the fourth butted portion where the back face of the sealing body is placed on the step bottom face of the support pillar step bottom face; and a second primary joining process of friction-stirring being performed by inserting the tip side pin and the base side pin of the rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body and moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the outer circumferential face of the base side pin being in contact with a front face of the sealing body and with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being slightly in contact with the step side face of the support pillar step portion while having the second aluminum alloy of the sealing body flow into the gap.
 4. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 3, wherein the friction-stirring in the second primary joining process is performed by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion with the tip side pin being slightly in contact with the step bottom face of the support pillar step portion.
 5. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the second primary joining process, the friction-stirring is performed by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion and making one round around the support pillar step portion.
 6. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first primary joining process of friction-stirring on the first butted portion by moving the rotary tool one round along the first butted portion.
 7. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 6, wherein in the preparation process, the jacket body is formed through die-casting, the bottom portion of the jacket body is formed in a raised shape with a front face of the bottom portion being raised and the sealing body is formed in a raised shape with a front face of the sealing body being raised.
 8. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 7, wherein a deformation amount of the jacket body is measured in advance and the friction-stirring is performed while an insertion depth of the base side pin and the tip side pin of the rotary tool is being adjusted in accordance with the deformation amount in the first primary joining process.
 9. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a provisional joining process to provisionally join the first butted portion prior to the first primary joining process.
 10. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 6, wherein in the first primary joining process, a cooling plate in which a cooling medium flows is fixed on a back face of the bottom portion and the friction-stirring is performed while the jacket body and the sealing body are being cooled by the cooling plate.
 11. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 10, wherein a front face of the cooling plate is made to be in face-contact with the back face of the bottom portion.
 12. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cooling plate includes a cooling passage through which the cooling medium flows and the cooling passage has a planar shape that corresponds to a moving track along which the rotary tool moves in the primary joining process.
 13. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 10, wherein the cooling passage through which the cooling medium flows is constituted by a cooling pipe that is embedded in the cooling plate.
 14. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 6, wherein in the first primary joining process, the friction-stirring is performed while the jacket body and the sealing body are being cooled by a cooling medium being made to flow in a hollow portion formed by the jacket body and the sealing body.
 15. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket as claimed in claim 3, wherein in the second primary joining process, the friction-stirring is performed by moving the rotary tool along the third butted portion and making one round around the support pillar step portion.
 16. The method for manufacturing a liquid cooling as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a first primary joining process of friction-stirring on the first butted portion by moving the rotary tool one round along the first butted portion. 